spacetoday.net: Russian solar satellite launch delayed indefinitely

Posted: Fri, Jul 27, 2001, 12:35 PM ET (1635 GMT)
The launch of a Russian spacecraft designed to study the Sun has been delayed indefinitely after problems with the spacecraft were discovered this week. SPACE.com reported that the Russian Space Forces delayed this week's launch of the Koronas-F spacecraft atop a Ukrainian Tsiklon-3 booster from Plesetsk after discovering problems with the spacecraft's attitude control system. No new launch date for the spacecraft has been announced. Koronas-F will observe the Sun at a wide range of wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays, with an emphasis on studying flares and other intense solar activity. The launch will be the first for the Tsiklon-3 since a December 2000 launch that failed when a problem with the booster's control system caused the third stage engine to shut down prematurely.